seasteading

If there’s one thing that multiplayer shooters need to do it’s evolve. Get complacent and the world passes you by. Now that the leveling system popularized in Modern Warfare has become the norm, other games are searching for the next big gameplay twist.

It could come from Kaos Studios’ Homefront, which has a compelling battlepoints system that could move the genre forward. On the opposite end, Brink could be the new mold for online shooters with its focus on teamwork over personal glory.

I had a chance to spend time with Splash Damage’s upcoming project recently. The Brink developers introduced me to life on the ark, a floating city that was built after the seas rose and civilization collapsed. It’s a place that’s been evenly split between security forces who want to preserve the ark, saving everyone onboard, and the rebels who want to leave the ark and search for any survivors of the climate disaster.

Despite the looks of the characters, there’s no real good side or bad side. Brink simply involves two factions that have different opinions on how to put world back together after it’s fallen apart. But before going into that drama, players have an opportunity to create their own character. They can change anything from skin tone to accents. (You can go Jamaican, British, American, etc.) They can dress them up with the option of adding unlocked clothing and gear, and best of all, players don’t have to create separate loadouts for each faction. The traits players choose transfer seemlessly from rebel force to security and vice versa.